


Impossible Odds

by animangod



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Angelic Possession, Anti-Hero, Character Death, Child Death, Child Soldiers, God Complex, Gods, Hero Complex, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Killing, Minor Character Death, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Possible Character Death, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:47:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animangod/pseuds/animangod
Summary: The Gods are sending children to kill their villain; he's tired of having to fight children.





	1. Chapter 1

“You should not have come.”

 

“I have to… I must stop you.”

 

“A mere child sent by the Gods… you will die if you persist.”

 

Afraid but determined, the sword was held in barely quivering hands. 

 

“If you're that determined to see your Gods in person, I will give you a fight worthy of your will.”

 

Pulling a sword from beside, the hilt was discarded for now, the edge aimed towards the child.

 

“This is your last chance, child; turn back. Once you clash, there will be no more morn for one of us.”

 

“Then, I'll have to make sure it's you.”

 

The child ran forward and blades clashed, attacks parried, but even with the Gods strengthening their servant, speeding up the natural speed, it still was no real match. The child caused minor injuries compared to the heavier ones sustained.

 

Knocking the boy to the ground, he kicked the sword away. Without it, the Gods could still speak to but could not power up their servant anymore. Without their help, he was just a young boy too young for war, wounded from the traps to get there and wounded by the battle and the damage finally catching up.

 

“What is your name, child?”

 

“It's …” A cough of blood. “It's Fai... Fluorite..”

 

“Your family will learn you died honorably.”

 

“... do.. Do I have to die now? I still… I still have some fight left…”

 

“Sleep, Fai. And you'll wake in a better place.”

 

He was supposed to be the villain but why did he sound so sad and compassionate then?  Even so, Fai closed his eyes.

 

The villain walked over to the sword he kicked away. With his own blade, he pressed it down before breaking Fai's blade in two. “Heathen Gods… you will pay for every life you've sent to kill me.”


	2. Chapter 2

He died. It was a hard pill to swallow but the letter fell on their doorstep as though it knew exactly where he had lived. And he could hear the cold whispers, the echoes encouraged him to take up arms, to avenge his brother and succeed where he had fallen.

 

His parents didn't want him to go - they'd already lost one son, they didn't want to lose both of their sons.

 

He smiled to reassure them. “With the Gods on my side, I can't die.”

 

It became his motto. As long as the Gods chose him, it wasn't he wouldn't die, but he couldn't die. He said it like a prayer as he practiced fighting, getting stronger, strong enough, he could defeat the evil that stole his brother's life.

 

He trained hard every day, some days collapsing with fever. On those days, he was sure the ghost of his brother watched over him along with the Gods because he always woke up with shelter and food. A sign. It must be a sign he was doing good.

 

He slowly improved - slowly got stronger. Strong enough he could use a more powerful bow. He kept working harder. He would avenge the death of his brother and save everyone else. As long as the Gods and his brother were on his side, he was sure he would be the one to defeat this evil.

 

“He's devised new traps,” he heard the Gods say. “He is as vicious as ever.”

 

He was not afraid. He couldn't die because the Gods still favored him.

 

It was cold, foreboding. And the labyrinth walls made it impossible to see clearly but he marched on despite the conditions, despite the pit falls, despite falling on his face. He marched on to face the evil that lived here.

 

He heard the tales, an evil so foul that the dead never had a burial, only a letter signed by the man himself announcing the death of a hero. Fai never got to be buried, where he could be mourned properly. So the stories had to be true.

 

He stood upon the steps, and received his prayer to himself, before pushing the doors to the hallway open. He could feel it - power, power that rivaled that of a God.

 

But he continued to believe.

 

“What have we here?”  Sarcasm bleeded into the voice, “another child who wishes to be a hero?”

 

“I’ve come to avenge my Brother's death.”

 

“Your brother? I have killed many boys - you'll have to be more specific.”

 

“You killed Fai!”

 

“Ah -yes, Fai. He still wished to fight even after all hope was lost.”

 

He drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. “You will pay for what you have done!” 

 

“Tell me child, is the world worth saving?”

 

“Of course it is!”

 

“A world that would send endless children to face certain death.”

 

“You say that but you're the one who killed them all!”

 

“You come into my house, you attack me and yet, somehow I'm the bad guy…. Your Gods  made sure you never thought critically. You serve them well like that.”

 

The arrow whisked by and shattered on the wall.

 

“Enough lies! As long as the Gods are on my side, I can't die!”

 

“So be it, child. You will learn your lesson here.”

 

He pulled out a blade and held it at an angle. He made broken shafts of many of those fired arrows. But instead of powering up their new servant, they made his arrows endless. The villain caught on soon enough.

 

He tried several times to get to it while being shot at, but the time that worked, he took an arrow through the hand in order to chop the quiver clean off the child.

 

This close, he could hear the voices practically screaming at him, telling him to finish the villain off. He launched himself at the villain, ignoring the fresh cut and tried to fight him with everything he had.

 

Rather than stab him more, he was flung across the room, his skull cracking as he hit the wall. The impact stole his breath away but he still tried to get up, to stand

 

“I can't die - I have to … I have to avenge Fai.”

 

“Do not worry, child. You will see him soon enough.”

 

His vision was growing blurrier, but as he fought the loss of consciousness as he had fought the villain, he swore he heard voices outside of his head.

 

“Is he going to be alright?”

 

“I told you to wait in the other room.”

 

How strange. The Gods never said anything about him not being alone and the voice was so familiar.

 

Meanwhile, the letter everyone expected had yet to appear at the brothers’ doorstep, and there was soon talk. Maybe he did it, maybe he got lost. There was a lot of gossip but no one knew what to truly make of the missing letter of death.

 

For now, no more heroes could be asked for. The Gods officially had their hero and they could not create those letters themselves without everyone knowing they were not from the villain. Without it, there was no need for a new hero, but without their servant, there was no way to parade their hero.


	3. Chapter 3

It was lonely - losing two brothers, one to death and one to mysterious absence. It was painful to wait at home. Years had passed and deciding it had been long enough, the last of the three went to their parents. 

“I am going. I will find out what happened to my brothers.”

“May the Gods protect you.”

“I am better off with the blessing of the people. The Gods have already stolen my brothers. I fear their protection does more harm than good.”

It was a drastic change in stance from the two before and it meant that few would offer any assistance to the one who turned her back on their Gods.

Shelter was where she could find it, and she made more friends with the birds and deer who she shared quarters with than her brethren. But she would find her brothers. Or whatever was left to bring home so that they had bodies to mourn and not just their absence. They were the Gods’ Heroes and they deserved that much.

Even when she was shut out or given nothing but a barn she was always polite to the people, slowly learning who to trust for advice and who would misguide her. It was hard because she wanted to trust everyone. Sometimes she still fell for bad advice and only her wits and animals friends helped her recover.

A bar owner would offer her lodging for a night's work. And she would do her best.

She smiled as her brother had taught her, as he learned from seeing the Hero, Sakura Kinomoto.

Even if she had nothing else, even if no one else believed in her success, she had her wits, the animals and she would survive to see what became of her brothers.

The snow was cold and she had to make her own shoes from what nature provided. They did little to keep out the cold air, but they kept her feet dryer than standing barefoot.

The deer walked beside her as she entered the labyrinth, two birds nestled in her hair. In the dark, they were her eyes and ears. Traps that had foiled many heroes - with her guides, she found the route with the least traps and they gave warning when they sensed something that didn't feel right.

The deer leaned down to nibble on some fallen leaves. Leaves? In a labyrinth? Chii squeaked and covered the birds as she bent low like the deer. The blade had been right at her neck level. If she hadn't ducked, she would have died. Instead, because she saved her bird friends, the blade cut the top of her hands.

It hurt, and she let herself cry from the pain. She could barely see but she could hear and feel and she was so glad her friends hadn't been hurt, just scared.

She sat down and covered her wounds before getting back up so they could continue.

It was the squeaks of her bird friends that continued to guide her through the labyrinth and when there was a pit fall trap, the deer exposed it. Rather than try and jump over it, she slowly slid down and walked about slowly, the birds giving flutters and tweets when she was too close to a spike. Moving to the other side, she found it was much easier to drop down than to get out.

“My friends - there must be a way to continue forward. Let's keep working together.” She spoke and worked on finding a way back up. She slowly climbed but soon slid down the slick plant. The leaves ripped off as she slid back down, but it gave her an idea. Grabbing the plant, she held on like it was a rope. She began to slowly climb again.

She climbed back out, jumping up at the last few feet and catching the edge, slowly pulling herself out of the trap. The clatter of footsteps and clacking and after a few steadying steps, she knew her deer friend had made it too. She gently put a hand on the deer's neck, “thank you for continuing with me.”

The deer nodded but something about the pit fall trap itself and a subconscious limp formed as the deer walked beside her, the three of them making their way out of the labyrinth.

She covered her eyes briefly to adjust to it suddenly getting brighter and the birds began chirping more. She moved to gently cradle the birds. “It's okay,” she smiled at them, “he only killed heroes, right? I am no hero.”

The birds soon flutter and nestle atop her head and she softly giggled at that before pushing at one of the door. It didn't budge.

“There must be a way to continue forward.”

She continued at the door, checking and pushing and even pulling but it didn't work. She looked at it curiously, “now if I was a hero, how would I go about getting inside?”

Seeing something shiny laying around, she curiously went over to see it. If only she knew how to read better…it looked the scabbard of a sword and there was fancy letters.

Grabbing it, she leaned against the doors as she tried to read what the writing said.

D.E.I.C.I.D.E.

“What could this mean?”

Hours passed as she tried to read the scabbard before she stumbled upon the word by happenstance. As she did, the doors slowly opened and she nearly fell all the way backwards.

“Deicide?” She'd heard the word before. Now what did it mean again?

Even so, she gathered her wits off the floor and stood up, the scabbard still in her hands. The deer got up and followed her inside the room.

The room felt empty except for them, so she nearly fell again, when she heard someone speak.

“Have you come to kill me as well?”

The chair. Moving from behind it was a large figure. Even tall for a parent. The presence of shadows that he wore like a cape, that he was expecting another visitor to come after him. It had to be him.

She held out the scabbard towards him. “I think you dropped this.

He stepped closer and accepted the scabbard from her. “You have not come all this way for this, have you?”

She shook her head and the birds fluttered just slightly off before settled back atop once the shaking stopped.

“My brothers… I wanted to bring them home.”

“You would be doing them a disservice.”

“So they are here? Please… won't you return their bodies? We never even got your last letter that Brother has died.”

“Child...do the Gods favor you?”

“I do not see why they would.”

“Then this will not hurt.” It was stated as fact. He put the tang and hilt of what appeared a sword that had been snapped into pieces into the scabbard before pulling it out and setting it against her knuckles. As he had said, it did not hurt. It only made her body slowly warm up and even though they were nearly freezing earlier, even her toes felt like she was standing in spring grass under the warm sun.

“I cannot replenish the blood you lost but your wounds should be closed now.”

She looked at him with wide eyes, “if you can do all that…”

“A God cannot do everything and some wounds even a God cannot heal..” The words were remorseful. “Now come. I'm sure your brothers have missed you, child.”

“It's Chii.. Chii Fluorite.” The birds fluttered their wings at that.

The man turned to regard them, “honestly you two - there’s no need to shout.”


	4. Chapter 4

“So you knew I was coming?”

“It's a God's job to know these things.”

“But… I never felt your presence.”

“Once you declare you are coming to see me, I know about you, but I never said I was the one keeping me informed to your activities.”

He cast the magic with almost a careless wave of his hand. The deer that had guided her transformed before her eyes and she recognized the face even before she had finished transitioning. “Sakura!”

She squeaked as four arms hugged her, and when she turned around, her brothers - both of them - stood there. Alive and well, and looking different ages.

She turned back to the God. “I don't understand…”

“Many of those who still had fight left to them survived even after they lost the fight against me. As with yourself, I could heal wounds - I can even change their form - but some lost too much blood, and are buried here. No God can replenish blood. Your brothers are among those that never died a mortal death.”

“What about the letters? You sent one home for Fai.”

“The Gods need their Hero… It's not the mortal death that matters but the death of their Hero. When I have severed their link to their servant, their Hero, and there is no more will to fight me, I am duty bound to send those letters.”

Yuui smiled smugly. “I'll never stop coming for your life if it means you never send that letter to Mother and Father.”

“Your weak attempts at an attack are getting old, child.”

“Getting tired, Old God?” Yuui said cheekily.

“Do you see what I have to deal with?” he spoke to Chii.

She softly giggled at that, “seems he likes you though.”

Sakura spoke next. “He’s one of the few. Kurogane is a God of Destruction and Recreation.”

“Is that why you're not popular?” Chii asked.

Yuui laughed at that, “she got you good, Old God.”

“...No Chii...the reason I’m so unpopular is because as soon as I come out of my own labyrinth, then Ragnarok will begin. The worlds will face destruction before recreation. Many lives, even Gods, will be destroyed when that happens. So, before that happens, the Gods decided to kill me beforehand. However they can't reach me themselves so they send children because you're small enough to fit through the walls and mortals are not affected by the barrier.”

“Does that mean you are trapped here?”

“...I could always visit my parents in the Underworld but I’d rather wait till I know which parent I’ll be riding with.”

“Riding with?”

“If I ride with father, I’d be going straight down to Tartarus. Mother, well, at least I ain’t condemned for eternity.”

Chii looked confused at that, so Fai explained, “his parents are rivers that were once a God and Goddess. When they fell in love at first, it was an impossible love. When she embraced her love, she burned and turned into a river, and when he died, he turned into a river so they could finally be together again.”

“That means… you were born out of love,” Chii said.

Just because it was true didn't mean it didn't cause the God to blush hearing it.

Yuui grinned at that. “Who knew a few simple words would have such an effect~?”

“Anyway…!” Kurogane said trying to steer the conversation. “Is there something else you would like to know?”

Chii was quiet as she thought over if there was anything she wanted to know. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“..does what hurt?”

“When you have to hurt lives and destroy stuff… doesn't that hurt you?”

Kurogane looked surprised by the question. Just because he knew the day of Ragnarok didn't mean he could accurately say all the events that would lead up to it.

He gently lifted Chii into his arms and Yuui looked like he'd kick his ankles if he said anything mean to her.

“More than you'll ever know, child.”

“But you have to, right?”

“Yeah. S’why if I have to cause pain, I'd rather get it over with as soon as possible.”

Chii considered the traps she had encountered. The trap that cut her hands. If she hadn't expected it, it would have been a quick ending. Or the pit fall. If her deer friend, if Sakura, hadn't exposed it, she might have fallen and died with her fall. The traps were designed to be quickly fatal and not leave the child suffering long or even aware.

“You don't like suffering, do you?”

“I don't,” he agreed.

It was quiet before Chii reached up with the hand Kurogane had put his blade on to heal her. “Then… when Ragnarok happens, I have nothing to worry about, because you're the one doing it.”

It was silent after that before Kurogane lightly grabbed that hand.

“And why is that?”

“Because, you'll make it as painless as possible. If you enjoyed hurting people and making them suffer, even without the Gods, I'd too think of stopping you from hurting everybody.”

“...I spose you're right, child.”


	5. Chapter 5

 

“So you knew I was coming?” Chii asked as she walked with the God.

 

“It's a God's job to know these things.”

 

“But… I never felt your presence.”

 

“Once you declare you are coming to see me, I know about you, but I never said I was the one keeping me informed to your activities.”

 

He cast the magic with almost a careless wave of his hand. The deer that had guided her transformed before her eyes and she recognized the face even before she had finished transitioning. “Sakura!”

 

She squeaked as four arms hugged her, and when she turned around, her brothers - both of them - stood there. Alive and well, and looking different ages.

 

She turned back to the God. “I don't understand…”

 

“Many of those who still had fight left to them survived even after they lost the fight against me. As with yourself, I could heal wounds - I can even change their form - but some lost too much blood, and are buried here. No God can replenish blood. Your brothers are among those that never died a mortal death. While here, they quit aging.”

 

“What about the letters? You sent one home for Fai.”

 

“The Gods need their Hero… It's not the mortal death that matters but the death of their Hero. When I have severed their link to their servant, their Hero, and there is no more will to fight me, I am duty bound to send those letters.”

 

Yuui smiled smugly. “I'll never stop coming for your life if it means you never send that letter to Mother and Father.”

 

“Your weak attempts at an attack are getting old, child.”

 

“Getting tired, Old God?” Yuui said cheekily.

 

“Do you see what I have to deal with?” he spoke to Chii.

 

She softly giggled at that, “seems he likes you though.”

 

Sakura spoke next. “He’s one of the few. Kurogane is a God of Destruction and Recreation.”

 

“Is that why you're not popular?” Chii asked.

 

Yuui laughed hard at that, “she got you good, Old God.”

 

“...No Chii...the reason I’m so unpopular is because as soon as I come out of my own labyrinth, then Ragnarok will begin. The worlds will face destruction before recreation. Many lives, even Gods, will be destroyed when that happens. So, before that happens, the Gods decided to kill me beforehand. However they can't reach me themselves so they send children because you're small enough to fit through the walls and mortals are not affected by the barrier.”

 

“Does that mean you are trapped here?”

 

“...I could always visit my parents in the Underworld but I’d rather wait till I know which parent I’ll be riding with.”

 

“Riding with?”

 

“If I ride with father, I’d be going straight down to Tartarus. Mother, well, at least I ain’t condemned for eternity.”

 

Chii looked confused at that, so Fai explained, “his parents are rivers in the Underworld that were once a God and Goddess. When they fell in love at first, it was an impossible love. When she embraced her love, she died and turned into a river, and when he died, he turned into a river so they could finally be together again.”

 

“That means… you were born out of love,” Chii said.

 

Just because it was true didn't mean it didn't cause the God to blush hearing it.

 

Yuui grinned at that. “Who knew a few simple words would have such an effect~?”

 

“Anyway…!” Kurogane said trying to steer the conversation. “Is there something else you would like to know?”

 

Chii was quiet as she thought over if there was  anything she wanted to know. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

 

“..does what hurt?”

 

“When you have to hurt lives and destroy stuff… doesn't that hurt you?”

 

Kurogane looked surprised by the question. Just because he knew the day of Ragnarok didn't mean he could accurately say all the events that would lead up to it.

 

He gently lifted Chii into his arms and Yuui looked like he'd kick his ankles if he said anything mean to her.

 

“More than you'll ever know, child.”

 

“But you have to, right?”

 

“Yeah. S’why if I have to cause pain, I'd rather get it over with as soon as possible.”

 

Chii considered the traps she had encountered. The trap that cut her hands. If she hadn't expected it, it would have been a quick ending. Or the pit fall. If her deer friend, if Sakura, hadn't exposed it, she might have fallen and died with her fall. The traps were designed to be quickly fatal and not leave the child suffering long or even aware.

 

“You don't like suffering, do you?”

 

“I don't,” he agreed.

 

It was quiet before Chii reached up with the hand Kurogane had put his blade on to heal her. “Then… when Ragnarok happens, I have nothing to worry about, because you're the one doing it.”

 

It was silent after that before Kurogane lightly grabbed that hand.

 

“And why is that?”

 

“Because, you'll make it as painless as possible. If you enjoyed hurting people and making them suffer, even without the Gods, I'd too think of stopping you from hurting everybody.”

 

“...I spose you're right, child.”

 

“So, it’s really impossible to change fate?”

 

“As a Fate, you know better than the rest…” Yuuko replied.

 

Kujaku looked over at her, before back down at the labyrinth. “I may be.. but I guess I still hoped it was possible to move the stars and change fate.”

 

Ashura frowned some, “it's an impossible wish, but it seems even when it is inevitable, the Gods will still seek to undo the binding threads.”

 

“Death will come, but death is not the end. The death of winter brings forth the spring.”

 

“It seems that fall is nearly over.”

 

“Yes. And the harder the fight against the fall, the approaching winter will be just as severe.”

 

Taichirou paced around the halls, muttering to himself. There had to be a way to reach their Hero, or kill him properly so they may summon another. Someone who could finally get to and kill the God.

 

Gigei overheard the veiled threat towards the child. It was bad enough children were being sent to die by another God's hands, but to kill the one sent for being unsatisfactory seemed an added cruelty.

 

She headed to where she expected to find a friend, “Yama, are you here?”

 

The God looked up from his meditative seat. “Gigei.”

 

“You spoke with the Fates before? About Ragnarok?”

 

“I have,” Yama confirmed.

 

“What did they say about it?”

 

“On the day, the sky will be torn asunder and the first blood shed will be from an ageless child.”

 

“An ageless child?”

 

Yama nodded although couldn't elaborate. Her guess was as good as his.

 

“A battle of Gods will follow and when it is over, the children shall inherit the earth…that is all the Fates shared with me."

 

“After Ragnarok, what children would still exist?” Gigei said sadly.

 

Without knowing how to respond to that, Yama instead changed the subject. “I haven't seen, how is Karyou holding out?”

 

“She's feeling a lot more energetic these days, Karura is quite proud of it.”

 

“When is Karura not proud of Karyou?”

 

“True.. still, Karyou is like a child...I worry for her when the final days arrive," she said softly before frowning some, "And it's not like Tai is helping matters, talking about finishing off the child sent to kill the God who houses the Gjallerhorn.”

 

“Again, he speaks with so little care?”

 

Gigei and Yama looked over towards the voice, “Kendappa.”

 

There was the slow sound of a single plucked harp string as she approached the two. “Don't you just pity the fool?”

 

“There is enough pity for all.”

 

Kendappa sat next to them and slowly played the strings, “children to kill Ragnarok, and children to begin it and children after it - why do we never think of the children and how much weight we have forced on their shoulders. Full men cannot carry the weight but children can? If this is the kind of Gods we have become, perhaps it is best to wipe the slates clean.”

 

The sound of the harp was the only sound heard in that room for a while.


End file.
